1968 427 Cougar GT-E: The Mercury Cougar with a big bite
The Mercury Cougar was released in 1967 as a luxury-type muscle car. It combined elegant exterior and interior styling with muscle power. It was similar to the Ford Mustang, but was built on a wheelbase three inches longer than the Mustang. Though the focus was on luxury and muscle, the Mercury Cougar became a popular street car for performance fans.
Years rolled on, and then in 1968, Mercury unleashed its ultimate performance/luxury package - the 427 Cougar GT-E. Let’s take a look at this fascinating car and see why it is so loved then and today.
One thing that makes the Cougar GT-E so special is the fact that it was a “Special Limited Edition” car that was brought to buyers for one year only, in 1968. It was very sporty and yet elegant just the same, appealing to both types of buyers. With many accessories, leather interior options, and beautiful wood-grain appointments, buyers had everything they could ever want in a sporty car.
Cougar GT-E option pricing
There were a number of distinct features that transformed the Cougar into a GT-E package. These features were included when buyers ordered the GT-E option.
Mercury’s suggested retail price for this option was $1,311, and it could be ordered for the standard Cougars or the Cougar XR-7 styles. Pricing for the standard Cougar with the GT-E option totaled around $4,244. The price for the Cougar XR-7 model with the GT-E option totaled around $4,542. Pricing was steep for that day, but so were prices for many of the other muscle cars.
Body style and exterior features of the Cougar GT-E
On the exterior, the GT-E featured exclusive emblems on the front fender. The emblem was of a cougar made of chrome that faced forward while standing on a chrome placard frame. The tri-color decal was of gold, red and black and read “7.0 Litre GT-E.”
The front grille was of a vertical bar design - same as other Cougars - but it was blacked out. An aluminum trim bar ran horizontal across the grille. The taillight grilles were also blacked-out instead of chrome. On the sides, an aluminum molding was added to separate the lower body paint from the car’s primary color. The molding ran down a lower body contour line from the bottom of the front bumper, up and over the wheel wells, across the door, and all the way to the bottom of the rear fender.
The GT-E had dual exhaust tips that were called by Lincoln-Mercury “Quad Exhaust Pipe Outlets.” These too were exclusive to the GT-E package, and featured angled ends that were rolled and neatly cut. The tips, which were about 18 inches long, extended under the valance in the rear. They can be recognized by a stamp on them of the Ford Motor Company oval symbol along with their part number.
The hood had power-dome scoops with simulated air inlets. Models built later that year with a 428 engine had a fully-functional hood scoop, but other types of Cougars ordered with this same engine also had this feature.
The exterior paint color choices were Lime Frost Green, Nordic Blue, Madras Blue, Caribbean Blue, Wellington Blue, Black Cherry, Onyx, Glacier Blue, Augusta Green, Grecian Gold, and Cardinal Red.
Interior features
The interior for the Cougar GT-E was defined by luxury with a choice of five XR-7 interior seat styles. These included standard leather (with vinyl) bucket seats, bucket seats with all vinyl, a “Decor Group” vinyl option for bucket seats, a “Decor Group” bench seat with vinyl, and “Comfort Weave” vinyl bucket seats.
Along with these gorgeous seat options, other XR-7 features included a dash made of walnut grain, additional instruments, pull straps on the doors, accessory toggle switches, and courtesy lights.
Cougar GT-E buyer options
For radio equipment, there was an optional AM radio, AM/FM stereo radio or an AM radio/stereo tape. The GT-E came with a standard heater, but a rear window defogger was optional.
There were many appearance options so buyers could customize the look and feel of their GT-E with a sports console (with or without a clock), adjustable headrests, wheel covers, two-tone paint, styled steel wheels, a vinyl Oxford roof, complete tinted glass, a left-hand remote mirror, deluxe shoulder belts (front and rear), an electric clock, tilt steering, and more.
Cougar GT-E engine and equipment
For the early part of 1968, the Cougar GT-E came equipped with a 427-E V-8 engine with a horsepower rating of 390. The engine came with a Super Competition handling package, a Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission with three speeds, and a power booster engine fan. The engine also had its own dress-up kit featuring an oil filler cap and dip stick, a radiator cap, chrome rocker covers, and air cleaner housing. In performance, it could zoom from 0 to 60 mph in only 7.1 seconds and go ¼ mile in only 15.2 seconds at 93.6 mph.
The brakes were power front disc and rear drum brakes. The tires used were Radial-ply FR70 x 14 red band or wide-tread WSW tires.
The mid-year engine swap
Those who ordered their Cougar GT-E option package after May 1968 got a different engine. The new engine was a 428-cubic-inch Cobra Jet Ram Air V-8 with somewhere between 340 and 390 horsepower (according to some team members), but it was officially rated at only 335 horsepower for insurance purposes. This engine had a longer stroke, making it more in-step with emissions regulations as well. The Cougar GT-E models with the 428 engine would be the performance cars for Mercury for the remainder of that year.
Its only year in the limelight
In 1968, there were 394 Cougar GT-E options ordered. Since it was the only year this option would be available, these rare models are highly collectible today. In 1969, the GT-E would make way for the powerful Cougar Eliminator, which featured a standard 351-cubic-inch V-8 with 290 horsepower. It had a full range of optional engines including the 428 Cobra Jet.
The Cougar GT-E of 1968 was a true Mercury muscle car with all the elegant features of a luxury car. It was made for performance, but designed for a queen.
